


Weary

by xtremeroswellian



Category: Smallville, Supernatural
Genre: Deals with Demons, Friendship, Gen, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:47:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23886202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: "Hey. It’s me.” There’s another pause. “Just checking in. Call me if you get this message.”Before she can even comprehend the bone-deep weariness in his tone, she is dialing his number and pressing the phone tightly to her ear.
Relationships: Dean Winchester & Chloe Sullivan





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for "Phantom" from Smallville and "All Hell Breaks Loose 2" for Supernatural.

Chloe awoke in a haze. Her head hurt, her hair hurt, hell even her mouth hurt.

And yet she is grateful for the pain because it means that she is, indeed, still alive.

It takes her only a moment to realize that her best friend is not.

The air leaves her lungs in a pained breath and the tears sting her eyes, creating a blurry mirage of bright colors.

She’d been in and out of consciousness for five days, and she doesn’t remember much but she distinctly remembers the sound of Clark’s pained voice uttering that Lana was gone, that her car had exploded, that Lex was responsible. That he had to leave. That he was sorry.

She wishes she didn’t remember.

Reaching out to grab her cell phone from the hospital rolling tray, Chloe winces at the strain it puts on her exhausted, sore body. She dials her voice mail, doubting anyone has called.

She’s wrong.

She has five new voicemails.

The first is from Clark, apologizing again.

The second is from Oliver Queen, calling to check on her.

The third is her father, saying he’s trying to get back to the country.

The fourth consists of a long pause, followed by a sigh.

It is the fifth one that makes her freeze.

“Hey. It’s me.” There’s another pause. “Just checking in. Call me if you get this message.”

Before she can even comprehend the bone-deep weariness in his tone, she is dialing his number and pressing the phone tightly to her ear.

“Winchester.”

She hesitates a second. “It’s me,” she says, her voice strained. It is the first time she’s spoken in nearly three days.

There’s a pause. “You okay?”

Even over a crackling, staticy phone line, he can read her so well. “Getting there.”

“Which means no,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“You don’t sound so hot yourself.”

“Sweetheart, I’m always hot.” There is only a hint of the cocky arrogance she is used to hearing in his voice. Something is very, very wrong.

“Where are you?”

“Topeka.”

“You heading this way?”

“You want me to?”

He needs to see her. She can hear it in his voice. The uncertainty in his tone speaks volumes.

“Yeah, if it’s not out of the way or anything.” She always gives him an out, but so far he’s never taken it. Theirs is a complex relationship.

“I’ll be there in a couple hours. You at the Talon apartment?”

Chloe pauses. “No.”

There is a moment of silence. “What room are you in?”

“221,” she answers.

“I’ll see you soon, Chloe.”

She slowly closes her phone and her eyes, resting her head back against the pillow.

Chloe wonders what it would be like to see him without one or both of their lives being in some kind of danger.

She doubts it will ever happen.


	2. Chapter 2

The next time she awakens, she sees Dean’s hazel eyes gazing at her intently from the chair beside her hospital bed. She manages to offer him a sleepy, weak smile.

“What the hell happened?” he asks softly, shaking his head.

She quickly explains what happened. “Apparently when I healed Lois—”

“You took on her injury,” he finishes, his gaze dropping to her abdomen. There is no wound visible but he looks at her like he can see one anyway.

“Something like that.” She closes her eyes for a moment. “What happened with you?”

He pauses. “The demon’s dead.”

Her eyes fly open at his quiet statement. ”The demon?”

Dean nods very slightly and avoids her eyes.

“What aren’t you saying?”

“Sammy died,” he whispers. “But I brought him back.”

Chloe stares at him, letting the implications of that sink in. “You made a deal.”

He looks down and doesn’t answer.

She closes her eyes again, this time for a different reason. “How long do you have?” Her voice is barely audible.

“A year.”

Chloe winces.

“I don’t regret it.”

“I know you don’t,” she whispers back, understanding. She doesn’t regret healing Lois even though it nearly cost her her own life. She would do it again in a heartbeat, even though she’s still not quite certain how she did it in the first place.

“Sammy’s determined to get me out of it.”

She slowly rolls her head to look at him. “Do you think he will?”

Dean was silent for a moment. “I don’t know.”

Chloe gazes at him, then silently reaches her hand out toward him. He hesitates only a second before taking it. “Know what I think?”

“What’s that?”

“We need a vacation.”

A smile tugs at his lips and he meets her eyes. “Yeah? Where you wanna go?”

“Somewhere sunny,” she murmurs sleepily. She briefly fights the urge to drift toward unconsciousness but the gentle stroking of his thumb against the back of her hand makes it impossible to stay awake.

As she’s drifting off, she swears she hears him whisper, “How about the Grand Canyon?”


End file.
